Bunny, Nottinghamshire
Encyclopedia
Bunny is a village
and civil parish
in the Rushcliffe
borough of Nottinghamshire
, England
. The parish has a population of around 600. It is on the A60
7 miles (11.3 km) south of Nottingham
, south of Bradmore
and north of Costock
.
times, perhaps as far back as the days of the Roman Empire
. The parish church of St Mary is 14th century. The most significant building in the village is Bunny Hall, probably built in the 1570s and occupied by the Parkyns family
for three hundred years. Sir Thomas Parkyns (1662-1741), known as the Wrestling Baronet, built what is now the present north wing to his own design circa 1723-25. He also built the school and almshouses. Thomas Parkyns was a devotee of wrestling and organised an annual wrestling match in Bunny Park (prize a gold-laced hat). These matches continued until 1810. His book on the subject The Inn-Play: or, the Cornish Hugg-Wrestler was published in 1713 and reprinted many times.
The following is an excerpt from a description of Bunny as published in 1813:
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe
Rushcliffe is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in West Bridgford. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by merging the West Bridgford Urban District, the Bingham Rural District and part of Basford Rural District.-Political representation:The...
borough of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The parish has a population of around 600. It is on the A60
A60 road
The A60 is a road linking Loughborough in Leicestershire, England, with Doncaster in South Yorkshire, via Nottingham.It takes the following route:*Loughborough**Rempstone**Costock**Bunny**Ruddington*West Bridgford*Nottingham**Sherwood**Arnold...
7 miles (11.3 km) south of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, south of Bradmore
Bradmore, Nottinghamshire
Bradmore is a village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire with a population of 320. It is just to the south of Ruddington, on the A60. Nearby places are Keyworth, Bunny, Ruddington and Gotham....
and north of Costock
Costock
Costock is a village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire, although its closest town and postal address is Loughborough across the border in Leicestershire. It is situated next to the A60 road. It has a Church of England primary school. St...
.
History
There has been a settlement on the site since pre-NormanNorman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
times, perhaps as far back as the days of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. The parish church of St Mary is 14th century. The most significant building in the village is Bunny Hall, probably built in the 1570s and occupied by the Parkyns family
Parkyns Baronets
The Parkyns Baronetcy, of Bunney Park in Nottinghamshire, is a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 18 May 1681 for Thomas Parkyns. On 3 October 1795 Thomas Parkyns Member of Parliament for Stockbridge and Leicester and son and heir of the third Baronet, was raised to the Peerage...
for three hundred years. Sir Thomas Parkyns (1662-1741), known as the Wrestling Baronet, built what is now the present north wing to his own design circa 1723-25. He also built the school and almshouses. Thomas Parkyns was a devotee of wrestling and organised an annual wrestling match in Bunny Park (prize a gold-laced hat). These matches continued until 1810. His book on the subject The Inn-Play: or, the Cornish Hugg-Wrestler was published in 1713 and reprinted many times.
The following is an excerpt from a description of Bunny as published in 1813:
- Bunny, a straggling village on the high road, containing about sixty houses, and which seems to have been indebted principally for its origin to the ancient seat of Bunny Park Hall, once the property of the family of Parkyns, and now of their descendant Lord Rancliffe. This family have indeed been great benefactors factors to the village, as it contains a good school house and hospital, the former being close to the church yard gate and erected in 1700 for the poor children of Bunny and Bradmore; and the latter having four rooms for four poor widows, and endowed by Dame Anne Parkyns.